Pages

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Tuesday Tropes: Save The Cat

Actions speak louder than words. I said that last week, didn't I? Goes to show just how true that statement is. If you want people to like your characters, it only makes sense to have them do good and benevolent things.

Save The Cat - used to establish a character as a hero, or one that we're supposed to like, by acts of kindness or by risking their life for another. This trope is known as Pet The Dog for "bad" characters.

Superman literally does this in the 1978 film (with a good example of Kick The Dog just seconds later).

Sounds simple enough, right? Save a helpless animal. Assist the elderly across the street. Slip some coin into a beggar's mug. Endless possibilities. But things get interesting when Pet The Dog comes into play. This is typically used to show the audience that a villain (or someone with bad intentions) has a soft side, and may redeem their wrongdoing by the end of the story.

Remember this? A thief watches a passenger plane go down, he goes inside to steal stuff, and ends up rescuing many of its passengers. The rest of the movie focuses on proving that this fellow did the rescuing, all because he gave his shoe to a hobo. I'd tell you more, but that would be a spoiler.

It's funny, if you think about it. Dogs are loyal, but we kick them. Cats are selfish, but we save them. Interesting times we live in, right?

Have you saved a cat in your writing? Or have you ever pet the dog? Was it a small thing or a big deal?

I think that's why Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog is so funny. The villain is the protagonist who has a soft spot for the girl at the laundromat and wants to rule the world for almost noble reasons. While the hero is a selfish jerk who goes out of his way to steal Dr. Horrible's love interest and make the villain look bad. The hero's actions make the villain more willing to commit violence. "Brand New Day" is the song that highlights that the most.

And I saw Hero on tv when I was high school. I really felt for Hoffman's character. Heroes sometimes appear out of the unlikeliest people. Han Solo wasn't a hero either, had the wrong reasons for helping the Republic--okay, for helping Leia--but the act sucked him onto the hero route anyway.

All I can think about now is Hellboy rescuing the box of kittens (yes, I know he's already the good guy, but he's also a demon)

Plus I think labelling all cats as selfish is very unfair. If you've ever owned a cat and been ill at home for the day, they will not leave your side. (The fact that you're warm and comfy to curl up on is just a bonus!)

This is one I use a lot. It works so well! My personal favorite example is in The Fugitive when Harrison Ford's character saves a patient by using his medical knowledge to change a diagnosis even while he's trying to escape.

My favorite of this is on Phineas and Ferb. The bad guy pets the cat all the time by saving the Perry the Platypus. It has made him one of the most likable bad guys. I have my bad guy save someone at the end of my book.

David, your blog gives me a break from my reality! Lol! Thank you for your encouragement to other writers. I've nominated you for the Beautiful Blogger Award. Come by and get it at http://sherilswift.blogspot.com/2012/05/beautiful-blogger-award.html

I love the way you put this!! This is really cool! Yes, I've used this Pet the Dog scenario... maybe not in quite the same way because my 'bad guy' doesn't turn 'nice' so to speak. But he's got a softer side.

Even a villain with a soft side doesn't necessarily choose the hero route. Your antagonist is the one with goals in opposition to your protagonist, so it's possible that good people end up on the wrong side of the fence. But it's most easily shown through some kind of 'pet the dog' act. :)

This is interesting. I guess I did that in a way with one of my characters. He wasn't a bad guy, but the MC starts off hating him at the beginning, then falling for him. It was minor--lending a friend $20, knowing he probably wouldn't get it back. But it showed my MC that he wasn't such a jerk.

I have a MC now that is actually a pretty bad guy, and I need to find a way for him to pet the dog or save the kitty. Not as easy as it seems with a young Werewolf serial killer. But Hanibal was sympathetic, and evil to the core, so there is hope . .

YA Paranormal Fantasy

Welcome to The Cosmic Laire, OFFICIAL site of fantasy and science fiction author, David Powers King! David currently resides in the Mountain West with his wife and 4 children. Click About to learn more.